Tanzania’s Magufuli Sacks Deputy Health Minister Over COVID-19

BY OUR REPORTER

DAR ES SALAM|SHIFTMEDIA NEWS| Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli has conducted a number of reshuffles in his Cabinet with major changes affecting the health docket since COVID-19 pandemic struck the country

 After the cases topped 500, Magufuli stopped the regular COVID-19 updates on April 28 which by then showed the country had some 509 cases and 21 deaths

Pombe Magufuli has fired his health deputy minister Faustine Ndugulile in a Cabinet reshuffle aimed at firming up the country’s efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Magufuli replaced Ndugulile with Godwin Mollel, a microbiologist and public health advocate, who has served in the health docket for three years.

The moves came weeks following the redeployment of Health Permanent Secretary (PS) Zainab Chaula to the communication docket and the retirement of Chief Medical Officer Mohamed Bakari.

Mabula Mchembe was named the new PS while Bakari was succeded by Abel Makubi.

The changes also came amid fear Tanzania was experiencing a worrying spike in COVID-19 after the US Embassy cautioned its citizens that the risk of contracting the virus in Dar Es Salaam was high.

President Magufuli earlier poked holes in the credibility of coronavirus tests which he claimed returned positive results for non-human subjects like pawpaws.

The Tanzanian Head of State also stopped the regular COVID-19 updates on April 28 which showed the country had some 509 cases and 21 deaths.

On Saturday, May 16, President Uhuru Kenyatta closed Kenya’s border except for cargo transporters with Tanzania following the increase of imported cases from the Magufuli-led country.

Uhuru, who revealed the number of cases in Kenya had climbed to 830 after 49 more tested positive, also shut the Kenya Somalia border.

Nairobi has recorded 50 deaths and 301 recoveries as of Saturday, May 16, while Somalia had registered 1,357 cases out of which 55 were deaths and 148 recoveries.

President Uhuru also extended the dusk to dawn curfew and the cessation of movement into and out of the expanded Nairobi Metropolitan Area and the counties of Mandera, Lamu, Mombasa, and Kilifi up to June 6.